Andy Carroll is not the solution.
Carroll continues to be linked with a move to Chelsea, with manager Antonio Conte keen to provide cover for Alvaro Morata as the business end of the season arrives.
The West Ham forward certainly provides a potent aerial threat but his return rate of nine goals in all competitions in the last 18 months is not exactly a ratio which has top clubs clamouring for his signature.
Chelsea are an exception to that, with Conte eager to bring the 6 ft 4in frontman on board before the January transfer window closes.
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On this week’s episode of the Defending in Numbers podcast, the guys discussed the ludicrous nature of the Blues’ supposed pursuit of the 29-year-old.
“I think that would be ridiculous,” guest Ali Maxwell said. “I don’t really see that being a feasible option.
“Chelsea’s recruitment in the last few years has been interesting. Someone tweeted a list of their signings, the last 25, and it got retweeted a lot because it looks a bit rubbish, to be honest. A lot of the players were ones you’d forget quickly, like Baba Rahman and people like that who sort of fell by the wayside.
https://twitter.com/Conteholic/status/950078857511669762
“Chelsea don’t make as much revenue off the pitch as Manchester United or Manchester City off the pitch because of the size of the stadium and a couple of other factors.
“And because of Financial Fair Play, they aren’t actually spending or rivalling clubs for the signing of Paul Pogba, Philippe Coutinho or Neymar. They can’t do that and so they’ve taken a slightly different tack.
“That involves not buying the finished product in world class players but trying to find ones at the level below which they can develop and, crucially for Chelsea, retain some kind of sell-on value.
“That’s where Andy Carroll, amongst a number of other reasons, really falls down because he’s not exactly an asset who’s going to make you money in the future.”
Carroll flattered to deceive with his first shot at a “big six” club as he scored just 11 goals in 58 appearances for Liverpool after the Merseyside club broke their transfer record to sign the big man back in 2011.
